


One more tea

by LaKuroNekoBaka



Series: The one more tea extended universe (serie title might change) [1]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - No Metaverse (Persona 5), Background AnnShiho, Fluff, Multi, Polyamory, Tags May Change, mention of past abuse with kamoshida, pego's name is ren, pegoryu as established relationship, sugimura is a tw in himself
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:35:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27398854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaKuroNekoBaka/pseuds/LaKuroNekoBaka
Summary: Today is a rainy day, and a girl wearing purple enters the shopA multi chapter fic, coffee shop au about pegoryuharu
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Okumura Haru/Sakamoto Ryuji, Amamiya Ren/Sakamoto Ryuji, Kurusu Akira/Okumura Haru/Sakamoto Ryuji, Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji, Okumura Haru/Persona 5 Protagonist/Sakamoto Ryuji, Persona 5 Protagonist/Sakamoto Ryuji
Series: The one more tea extended universe (serie title might change) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2001604
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter one : Rainy day

**Author's Note:**

> Hi ! Welcome here ! At the time this fic is posted, we are in the middle of the american election, and the vote count. Please recieve my hope and love from france! This is stressful time, but I know that we will be able to pull it thought
> 
> So, about the fic, i wanted to do something sweet and kind of wholesome. 
> 
> Oh, and please note i'm experimenting stuff with work skins! I wonder how much i can play around with it but for now (as of 05/11/2020) it's only colored text for when characters speaks ! There is a lot i need to learn about how to use them efficiantly but for now, one step at the time

Today was a day like the others. It was a day where Ren and Ryuji had to go to work in the coffee shop, where they had to take orders, make the drinks and serve them. They liked their job, or well, Ren enjoyed making the various coffees and Ryuji liked serving them. They worked here for a long time, but they weren’t owners of this place. 

They had been together for some years now. They started dating while they were in high school. It took them time before they realized they fell in love with each other. If Ann weren’t there, they might just have stayed close friends with each other. They lived together in a rather small apartment, but it was cozy and sufficient for them. It was only the two of them, and their cat, Morgana. They adopted him when they found him as a stray. He was sick back then, and it was Ryuji’s will to help him. They grew attached to him, and they decided to keep him. Fortunately, their landlord allowed pets. Morgana had, however, a favoritism problem. He preferred Ren by a lot, which annoyed Ryuji to no end.

Yes, today was a day that was just like the others. Except...

Today was a rainy day. That meant that there weren't a lot of customers coming around. It was fine. Ren liked those shifts more than the others. He liked watching the rain drop on the pavement, in this room filled with the warm aroma of coffee and tea. Ryuji was in the kitchen area, working on pastries to serve to the client. It was mostly reheating some prebaked cakes, but it was still something to be done. Ryuji always wanted to learn how to bake, but he never really admitted it to Ren. He would try to watch some videos on the internet so he could grasp some concept but he didn’t have time to experiment. He wished he could bake some cookies for his mom, who he was close to. The day passed peacefully, nothing really important happened. The rain worsen.

A short girl walked inside the shop. She was drenched, water dripping from her purple coat. Her umbrella did not protect her well. She sighs, as she puts her umbrella away close to the door. She rearranged her wet hair, putting them behind her ears so she could see where she was going. She took her coat off, revealing an adorable pink dress. She folded it awkwardly, not really knowing what she could do with it in this state. She turned around, and faced the boy at the counter. He was watching her, waiting.

“Erm, excuse me, can I have a towel?”  She spoke in a timid, but soft voice.

“Of course. Looks like the rain got you.”  Ren turned around and fetched one of the clean towels they used to dry off their cup and plate. He handed it over. She smiled, and noded to him.

“Indeed. I got unlucky that the only day off I had, I can’t use it the way I wanted.”  She said, while passing the towel in her hair.

“Busy workplace huh?”

“Tell me about it, I wonder how I can manage to have a somewhat balanced work life routine.”  She complained. “I have so many responsibilities; I wonder how others can handle them.”

“That sucks. You can take a rest here if you want, madam.”

She chuckled and smiled.  “Oh, thank you.” She hesitated an instant. “Please, call me Haru.”

“Ok Haru, what can i get you?”

“Something warm… Can you give me some tea suggestions?”

Ren turned around and looked at all the types of tea they had. With time, he almost memorized all the different flavors.

“Well, I’m not really a tea expert but… We do have rooibos infusion with notes of citrus, rose, almond and spice that might work well. Usually, it is for winter holidays, but I figure you might need a well deserved break.”

“Oh, it sounds wonderful. I would like that.”

“Please, take a seat.”

Ren prepared the infusion. Ryuji, who was back from the kitchen, overheard the conversation. He was wondering why her name was familiar.

“Would you like something else with your tea?”  The fake-blond boy asked.

“Oh, if you have some shortbread biscuit, I would love that.”

“Right away!”

The two boys prepared the order together. Once the water was hot enough, Ren poured it in the cup with the tea ball. He wished he could use a more delicate one, but he had to do with what he had. Small spoon, sugar, biscuits, the warm beverage, the tray was ready. Ryuji took it, and brought it to the table where the kind girl was sitting. She wasn’t too far away from the counter.

“Please, enjoy your stay.”  He said while putting the tray down in front of her.

“You need to let it infuse three and a half minutes more.”  Indicate Ren. “Have a nice pause.”

“Thank you.”  She said, giving a sweet smile to the two boys.

Today was the day where the couple met this girl. This day looked like any others, but this was the first of the many times they would run into each other.

She enjoyed her stay here until the rain stopped. The shop was mostly silent. The sound of the various machines working in the kitchen was smoothing. Ren was on his phone while working. It’s not like there was a lot to do on a rainy day. Sometime, he asked for Ryuji’s attention, showing him something. Usually, Ryuji would respond with a smile, a chuckle, or a small tap on the shoulder. Haru noted that Ren had good taste in tea, as his selection was perfect. She savors the small stop in her busy life. She didn’t know how much she needed it until now. To her, it felt like time had stopped for an instant. Once the rain stopped, she stood up, taking the tray with her, to put it on the counter.

“Thank you again for the tea, it was delicious.”

“At your service, Madame.”  Hummed Ren, giving her a little bow. He felt Ryuji taping on his back. The blond sighs as he was used to Ren being a kind gentleman to the girl that would visit the shop alone. Haru only let out a small laugh.

“Oh, please, don’t be so formal.”  She said as she for her order.

“Please excuse him.”  Ryuji joined the small talk.  “He’s always like that to girls.”

“Come on ‘Uji, you know it’s not true.”

“Yeah, you also are like that to the boys.”

“No, no, not _all_ the boys, only _you_ .” 

“Hey, stop flirting.”  Ryuji flicked Ren’s nose. He had a small blush on his cheeks. The girl watched them the whole time.  “Beside, we are still at work.” He added after noticing the witness.

“It’s alright, don’t worry.”  She chuckled. “Well, have a nice day!”

“Have a nice day too. Please, come again!”  Responded Ren.

“Have a nice day.”  Ryuji noded.

Today was a good, peaceful day.


	2. Chapter two : Sunny day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haru finds a moment for herself. She decide to go back to that shop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there ! I hope you had a wonderful week ! Mine was great ^w^ 
> 
> As some might have noticed, but this fic is a part of my nanowrimo of this year. I already have a huge chunk of the fic written (around 14k words for 7 chapters i think? for now at least) but i need to edit some stuff out before publishing

Haru’s life was filled with work. She didn’t have time to think for herself in the long, long days. She liked gardening, and knows a lot of stuff about it. She used her garden to grow all sorts of plants, from flowers to herbs to trees. Some time, she chopped wood to blow off some steam. This wood was mostly for her fireplace, but she wanted to try building something with it. Her garden was her secret place. She used it to relax, or well, it used to be her relaxation place. Her fiance she hated was trying to move in with her, gaining more and more place in her life. She tried to get him away, but it never worked. He was forced to her by her father, and she didn’t have a word in this. She needed a new place to relax, as her old hobby was now out of the way. Weeks ago, She visited a coffee shop apparently run by a lively duo. Maybe this was her solution.

Today was a sunny day. Ryuji was wondering if they could finish early today, as he wanted to go out tonight, maybe go run a little, but it seems to be out of the question. Ren was fine with this shift, he wasn’t tired or anything. The door rang. Haru came here. She was rearranging her soft puffy hair. They looked prettier when they weren’t wet. There weren't a lot of clients at the shop now. It was a work day, when everyone was busy. She was lucky today to be able to get some time for herself now. This leads to Ren noticing her.

“Ah, welcome back Haru!”

“Ah, thank you.” She said, smiling. She approached the counter.

“Tell me, how is your day?”

“Awful. People at the company don’t stop creating rumors about executives.”

“That’s awful, indeed.”

“If there were only that, I would be grateful. Sadly, being at the head of it means I have the control, and people that want your place.”

“Ah, I see…”

“Things are going so badly I’m completely exhausted…”

“There is not much I can do, except serve you a tea and listen to what you have to say.”

“That would be kind of you, but I don’t really want to bother you in your work.”

“Today’s a slow day, most of our customers won’t arrive until 5:30pm or something. And besides, it is my job to serve you... and Ryuji can handle most of the serving if anyone arrives while you are talking”

“Don’t you dare give me your tasks just to chat with our client!” A voice shot from the kitchen.

“Are you jealous?”

“What? No!”

“Anyways, we don’t have a lot of clients dear, you can come here too!”

The blond boy walked out of the kitchen. He was drying some cups they used this morning.

“I can’t believe you’re the one that slacks the most between us two. You were the most studious of us two and here I am parenting you.”

“Well, I’ll treat you tonight to thank you, is that ok?”

Ryuji stared tiredly at Ren. Ren answered with puppy eyes.

“Only this time, Ren. You are lucky it is true that there are not a lot of customers today.”

“Thanks love! Excuse us Haru.”

She chuckled. Two boys here willing to listen to her? She was lucky.

“It’s alright.”

“I can offer you some black tea today, with aromas reminiscent of lavender, strawberries, rhubarb and cornflower. That sounds like you need something sweet today.”

“Well, I’m looking forward to it.” She answers, taking Ren by surprise as he didn’t expect her to just agree with his suggestion. “I’ll take the same biscuits as the last time, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course not, please, sit down, we’ll prepare everything.”

“Thank you.” She smiled. She went at the table closest to the counter, in case someone would walk in. It didn’t take too long. The presentation was the same as the last time.

“Three minutes and a half, just like the last time.” Instructed Ren. He stayed behind the counter, to take care of some left over. Ryuji went to the other side and sat with her. “So, about your company?”

“You sure look young for someone that’s supposed to be a leader, no offense.” Mentioned Ryuji.

“Well, it’s because I inherited my father’s company now… Six? no, seven months ago I think. I knew I would eventually take the reins but I did not expect it to be this early.”

“I wonder how big the company is if you can just inherit it.” Wondered Ren, not paying attention to Haru’s surprised face. Ryuji was a bit puzzled, but thinking about what she said. He’s piecing things together, slowly. He came to the conclusion he might have heard about it on the news one time.

“Well, it is a bit big.” She laughed. She was delighted to have someone to chat with that doesn’t try to get her grace or anything. “Big enough my dad already planned a lot of stuff for me before he passed away. He organized an arranged marriage with my current fiance, just so he could get to the political scene.” She looked down to her tea at those words. “If this was the only thing he forced in my life. He wasn’t that present in my life either.”

“That’s horrible.”Commented Ryuji. Ren gave a compassionate look at both of them. He knew how much this touched his lover. Shitty dad stuff.

“Indeed. Now that my father is out of the picture, I tried to break the marriage promise but my fiance kept forcing himself upon me. I hate him with a passion, I wonder what I can do before he does anything bad to me. I’m glad he still hasn't touched me in a way that rubs me off yet.” She sighs. “But it still stresses me out. I can’t even feel safe in my own home because of it. He still doesn't live with me, thankfully, but I think he will try to do that soon.”

The boys looked at each other. They knew what each other thought. They both knew what they wanted to do.

“If I had a problem with him only, that would be somewhat fine. People at the company go to me out of respect, but they really just want to use me. There is a lot of scandal under our name, so many rumors, so many things that go wrong, and my father left me with that. Some actually force themselves in so I sell my shares, and they say that i will get a lot of money this way. But by doing so, I would give them the company. This is... the only thing that links me with my father and I don’t know if I can let go. I have really a hard time lately sleeping because of all the things accumulating on my shoulders.”

“That sounds hard.” Said Ryuji.

“You should look for one problem at the time, Haru. What seems the most important to you?” Asked Ren. “It’s normal you are overwhelmed with all that’s going on.”

She took care of stopping the infusion, as it was now time. She looked up from her cup of tea.

“I don’t really know honestly. I kind of have a headache just thinking about it.”

“I think the fiance problem should be treated first.” Said Ryuji. “If you can’t feel relaxed in your own home that’s no good. Or maybe you can move?”

“I don’t want to move. There is so much here that I love, I don’t want to abandon it.”

“Ah. That’s understandable.” Said Ren. “Well, you can stay here when you need. We’ll always take care of you.”

Ryuji frowned. “Ren, you can’t say that like that.”

“What? Hey, I’m trying to “create customer loyalty” here.”

“Are you sure you aren’t finding excuses?”

“I am sure.”

“Did you forget what our manager said last time?”

“I forgot.”

“Seriously, sir “I can recall a conversation I overheard easily; it’s scary” didn’t remember what someone told directly to his face.”

“I… ok I did not forget, I just didn’t want to recall it… Let’s… report this conversation for later, would you?”

“Yeah, here is not the place… Please, excuse us.”

“Oh, it’s alright. It seems like there is a good feeling between the two of you.” She smiled.

“Well, I sure hope it does. We _do_ have been friends for a long time now.” Laughed Ren.

“Friend? You mean partner right?” Smirked Ryuji.

“Partner is an understatement.”

“Oh.” She took a sip out of her cup. She felt herself be a little embarrassed by the situation. It’s not the two being in a relationship that made her cheeks dusted with pink, but more the feeling that she forced them to come out to her. Did she invade their privacy? She didn’t really know what to say now.

“Seriously tho, feel free to come here, we’ll always welcome you.” Mentioned Ryuji before standing up. He noticed some clients coming in. Ren was already taking care of them.

“Thank you. Actually, talking about this did help me a little.”

“If you need anything, you know where to find us!”

“I will.” She nods.

She watched the two boys working. They didn’t spend too much time talking, but that was more than enough. She noticed the deep bond between the two. She sighs. She couldn’t help herself but envy them. She wished she could have a deep relationship like them, but she kept on doubting people, and herself. Her mind wandered in this sea of though. She wished to have a strong person taking care of her, but for now, she needs to work, like every day ever since she got the company. Eventually, she left the shop, giving her goodbye to the boys. She needed to go back to her usual stressful life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading ! Next chapter should arrive soon ! as mentioned before, it's already written !


	3. Chapter three : Cloudy day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryuji met Ann and Shiho, they had something important to tell him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, sorry for the delay, i was taking care of myself, the nano turned out to be more a source of stress and frustration the more time passed. That said, this fic is mostly written, so it will be published completly. Also, this is kind of part of the persona rarepair week on twitter !

It’s been weeks since Haru rented about her work and the company. She didn’t talk much about it afterward when she visited the coffee shop again. She found more and more time in her tight schedule to meet and go there. She took care to not neglect her garden nor her work. This place was slowly becoming one of her favorites in town. She liked trying out the tea suggestion Ren gave her, as they weren’t plants she grew at home. She could try, but is it worth the effort? Her two favorite teas were two opposite in taste. One was more spicy, with keemun tea, peppermint, black and pink pepper, along a cappuccino and red currant flavor, and the other, much sweeter, composed of houjicha, pineapple, lemon peel along some bergamot and grapefruit flavor. She doesn’t know why, but those two teas bring her reassurance.

The boys enjoyed serving Haru. She always was polite, with good manners. They liked the small talk with her. They also had some small victories when one of them was able to make her laugh. It was worth more than they actually expected. They also got themselves to talk about her when they were home more often than they expected. With time, Ryuji tolerated Ren’s flirting and gentlemanly act when it was directed toward her. They both think they just considered Haru as their favorite client. Ryuji did relate to her quite a lot, while Ren enjoyed when the conversation took a more professional turn.

Today was a day like the other. Some clouds hid the sun, making the weather perfect for a walk. It was also Ren and Ryuji’s day off. While Ren preferred using his time to take care of Morgana, his claw doing ravages on the cat scratcher, Ryuji took the opportunity to meet Ann and Shiho. It’s been sometimes since those three saw each other. They were off the park, talking about everything and nothing, getting news of each other's daily life.

“Oh, by the way, did you know that we have something big coming up?” Asked Shiho.

“Oh, what did you plan?” Ryuji wondered with genuine interest.

“Well, you know for how long we’ve been dating each other, right?”

“Much longer than Ren and I did, yeah.”

“We decided to take our relationship a bit more seriously.”

“It wasn’t before?”

“Come on Ryuji.” Said Ann, annoyed by the little joke. “We wanted to tell you that we were considering marriage.”

“Wait, for real?!?” Ryuji almost shouts out of surprise. “I’m so happy for you girls!”

“We don’t know yet about when we’ll do it, but we are currently planning some things out.”  Shiho’s smile was beaming.

“I’m totally sure Ren will be happy for you. Tell us what you’ve planned, I’m sure we can help you out!”

“Don’t worry about it ‘Uji, you are even the first one to know about it.” Said Ann. “That said, what about you guys? You two are close too, did you consider it?”

“Ah, eh, not really. We are happy the way we are so we don’t really feel the need to change that.”

“Yeah, that’s understandable.” Commented Shiho.

“Honestly, we are more interested in our current job more than anything.”

“Something happened?”

“Well, there's this new regular girl. She’s super sweet and always polite.”

The two girls looked at each other.

“Tell me more about this girl” Ann asked grinning. She had something on her mind.

“Huh? Yeah, sure. She’s a rich girl at the head of a company. She never stated which one, but I have suspicion about which it is. She has short, fluffy hair, often wearing pink or purple. She’s adorable, kind, caring, an absolute treasure. She likes gardening, it’s like her hobby. She’s a tea person, and she always takes a cake with it. She told us about how much her work stresses her out, she has a lot of trust issues with her own employee, but that’s understandable since they all want something out of her. And beside there is al-”

“Stop it Ryuji, we got the picture.” Said Shiho.

“Huh?”

“You noticed too how much he spoke and how little he let himself breathe huh?”

“Yeah… It just like back then”

“What?”

“Ryuji, how often do you find yourself talking about her with Ren?”

“Uh? Kind of a lot actually.” He was thinking for an instant. “Almost all the time i’d say?”

“And here goes my doubts.”

“Ryuji, how can you be so oblivious of your situation?”

“Stop being so mysterious please.”

“Did you fall in love with her?”

Ryuji didn’t respond right away, frowning as he was thinking of what they’ve said. Did he? He felt like there was a puzzle that was completed in his mind.

“Oh my god I fell in love with her.”

“Ryuji, you can be an idiot sometime.” Teased Ann.

“Hey, it’s not my fault this time, I’m already in a relationship which is fulfilling! Why would I ever consider a second lover?”

“You know polyamory is a thing?” It was Shiho’s turn to talk.

“Well uh…”

“You and Ren talked a lot about her right? Maybe it’s worth you also talking about your feelings for her at the same time, and it can conclude something!”

“Are you sure Ren would be ok to talk about such a thing.”

“I can ask if you want.” Said Ann, her phone in hand. “Won’t be my fault if he’s mad that you talked about it with us first and not him.”

“Am I being threatened?”

“If you don’t want I won’t ask.”

Ryuji was thinking about it a moment.

“Please don’t ask, I can do it myself.”

“Alright! Good luck with that!” Said Shiho joyfully.

“You make it sound like I’m going to get killed.”

They shared a laugh. How could Ann know his feelings better than himself? Was that some kind of superpower she had? Or maybe it was because she knew him too much. They had to separate themselves, sharing some good bye. Tonight might be a movement night.

Ryuji was back at his home. He was welcomed by Ren who was still here. He was playing on their game console. It was some kind of popular fighting game where he really liked to play a broken character wielding a gun. He joined the game, he knew he would be no match to him despite how much he practiced, but it was fun playing with hazards. They took the second controller, and picked the yellow mascot that controlled thunder. He sits right next to Ren, and they start playing.

“Ah, I saw Ann and Shiho today.” Ryuji said after some defeats. Maybe distracting him would be a solution to grab a victory or two.

“Oh, cool, what did you talk about?”

“Mostly the weather, and they do have something big in preparation.”

“Really?”

“Yep, they will soon be married.”

This really took Ren by surprise, to the point it did give an opportunity for Ryuji to punish him and steal the win. This annoyed Ren, as it felt like his boyfriend cheated. He pouted.

“Hey, that win doesn’t count, you distracted me with some big news!” Ryuji stuck his tongue out. “Anyways, when will it happen?”

“We don’t know yet. Also, we are the first one to know about it!”

“Oh, that’s cool.”

“Also, I talked a bit about Haru to them.”

“What do they think of her?”

“They can’t have an opinion of her if they did not meet Ren.”

“I hope they’ll like her then.”

“Yeah, so about that…”

“About what?”

“Ann pointed something out while we chatted and I might have developed a crush on Haru.”

“Ah? You _developed_ a _crush_ on Haru?”  Slowly repeated Ren.

“Yeah? Is that odd?”

“A little, you don’t stop me from flirting with her anymore.”

“It’s more like I gave up trying.”

“I guess Ann had a feeling of deja vu… You know, as you confessed something to me, I have something to confess to you.”

“Ah?”

“Yeah, I too have a crush on Haru.”

Ryuji’s mind went blank. They both had a crush on the same girl? It’s actually better than he expected. They shared a laugh.

“I realized that when you were gone today. We do talk about her a lot, and like having her around at the shop.”

“It’s true.”

“Hopefully she’s less oblivious than you.”

“Hey! That’s mean you know?”

“Sorry, but you know it’s true.”

“Yeah, don’t remind me.”

“We should leave her our number when we see her, it can be good if we chat with her more.”

“Yeah, sounds good. I bet you that she will contact me first.”

“Oh, you want to bet? Then I bet you a dinner where you want that she will contact _me_ first.”

“Wait, are we really going to compete over that?”

“Hey, you were the first one to bet.”

“Ok, just for the first contact, after we stop.”

“Alright... Ah, poor her, I wonder how she would feel about having two men, who did mention they were in a relationship, try to hit on her at the same time. I think she’ll be confused.”

“I’m wondering if she will be fine with that. Well, at least we won’t be treating her like her fiance, so it’s a plus.”

“We don’t know how her fiance is really treating her.”

“She told us he was awful, and she doesn’t want him to be around.”

“Yeah, we should do something about it.”

“Honestly I do want to beat his ass.”

“Let’s not do that, I don’t want to find you at the police station. We’ll find something, I think. But for now, we don’t know if she wants us to interfere with her personal problem. Let’s try just hanging out with her.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Wanna rematch?”

“Yeah.”

Tonight turns out to be a peaceful night. Morgana was watching over the two lovers. He was on top of the sofa, near Ren’s head. After a long loss streak, Ryuji decided to stop playing. He was wondering what they could have for dinner. They ended up ordering food. The rest of the night was calm, uneventful. They, as usual, took their turn in the shower, and didn’t stay awake for too late. They sleep in each other’s arms today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading ! Next chapter will come out as soon as i finish editing it, so stay tuned !


	4. Chapter four : Calm day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haru need a moment of peace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It always takes me some times to add in the color for each characters, but i really like how it renders in the end. If there is any p5 writers that would be interested in the skin, hmu on [tumblr](https://lakuronekobaka.tumblr.com) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/LaKuroNekoBaka)

Haru’s worries increased the more time passed. She felt less and less safe in her own house, and more and more pressured by her own employee. One of the higher ups was pushing the idea of the marriage more, and her fiance found a way to put a bouquet of roses on her bed. Even if the gesture seemed innocent on the cover, it was a breach of her privacy. She needed to act, but she didn’t know how yet. She needed some advice, but there wasn’t anyone that she trusted in her life. She thought that she might give a chance to somebody. Maybe…

Today was a day like the other. The weather was good. A breeze moved some leaves around on the pavement. It was another day at the coffee shop. The two boys had prepared a little something for Haru, if she came in. And she did. This gave the two boys a beaming smile. However, she wasn’t as radiant as they were.

“Welcome Haru, is there something wrong?” Asked worried Ren.

“Ah, I’m alright, it’s just a hard week at work.” She answered. Ryuji suspected there wasn’t only that, but he mentioned nothing.

“I can only imagine.” Ren sighed. “What should I serve you today?”

“The usual, please.”

“The sweet or spicy tea?”

“Sweet one.” She sat down on the table that was now hers when she came here.

“Right away.” Hummed Ren. “Want to talk about your work?”

“Not really.”

“It’s alright.”

“I’m more in the mood for talking plants.”

“You gardens?” Asked Ryuji.

“Indeed. I am lucky that my father had a decently good site not so far from the city. I love spending time there.”

“That sounds lovely.” Mentioned Ren. The order was almost ready.

“It is. However, with my current situation, I’ve noticed I’ve got less and less time to take care of my flowers. It saddens me, as I worry that my lack of care might lead to their death.”

“And I suppose your current work and private situation doesn’t help you much either.” Ryuji put the tray in front of her.

“Exactly. When everything is settled, I will finally be able to experiment again. I try to create my own hybrid, not only in flowers, but some vegetables and fruits too.”

“That’s impressive!”

“Thank you.” She smiled.

“You know, Ren worked in a flower shop for some time back in high school.”

“Ryuji, it was a long time ago, all the knowledge I had is now long gone.”

She let herself laugh a bit. “Oh my, I can give you some lessons so you can remember if you want to.”

“You know, it was mostly composing bouquets for clients, so I learned a bit about flower language. I think I actually have some leftover. Aren’t blue and white iris representing the hope for a new love?”

“Ah, I’m not really versed in flower language. I have to trust you with that, then.” She admitted. “I think it might be good if I pick up some book about it one day.”

“Sounds like a great idea to me.”

They exchanged smiles. Haru continued discussing the wonder of growing plants and the delicate balance of the soil. Her knowledge was impressive, but it should have been expected from someone passionate. Ryuji was taking care of the customers, completely lost in the word flux, while Ren was able to somewhat keep up. It was nice to talk about something positive for once. Time passed, and it was now time for her to leave. While she was paying, Ren gave her a piece of paper. She didn’t look right away at what was written on it, but she thanked him anyways. Ryuji, behind, waved at her with one of his signature smiles. She walked outside the shop, and dared to look at the paper. She was surprised to see Ren’s number written on it, along a small doodle of him. She looked at the other side of the paper and saw Ryuji’s number, again with a doodle. She puts a hand on her lips, blushing. She put the paper in her wallet, keeping it in a place she wouldn’t lose it. The two boys were able to see that she checked the content of the paper, and high five each other.

Tonight was a calm night. The couple were both on their phone, browsing social media, in the wait of a brand new notification. They both have turned on the sound notification just so the other would know who received the first message from Haru. After a few minutes, one of the phones rings. The winner was Ren.

“Heh, you’ll have to pay for dinner Ryuryu ~” He teased?

“Oh seriously?” Groaned Ryuji. “What does she say?”

Ren opened the message.

_ “Hello, this is Haru! I would like to thank you for today’s tea, it was great as always!” _

“She thanked me for the tea.” He chuckled, while responding to her,  _ “You’re welcome, Milady” _ . Ryuji received a message too. He opens it.

_ “Good evening, this is Haru! Thank you for today, I had a great time at the shop. I was wondering, when is your next day off?” _

He hummed while typing a response.  _ “Good evening! My next Sunday is free, what do you need?” _

__ _ “Well as I mentioned today, I don’t have much time to garden anymore, so I was wondering if I could borrow you for a day.” _

__ _ “Oh, it’s alright! I do want to help you!” _

__ _ “Oh my, thank you! I’ll pick you up at 2pm, is that good for you?” _

__ _ “I’m looking forward to it!” _

“Well, Ren, you may have the first message, I got the first date.”

“Wait, seriously?”

“She asked me to come over to help her with her garden.”

“Lucky you.” Ren pouted.

“Come on, she might just need someone physically fit, something… you aren’t really, let’s be honest.”

“Maybe but you’re still lucky you get to see her outside of work first.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll talk about you as the most handsome man I’ve ever met.”

“I refuse your compliment Ryuji.”

“Come on man, you know I don’t like when you’re mad… Or acting mad, I still can’t tell the difference after all these years.”

“Well, you know how much I don’t like losing and right now I feel like I’ve lost to you.”

“Alright, alright. Want to claim your price for the first message? Want to go get ramen?”

“Yeah, please.”

“Well, let’s go.” Ryuji said standing up. He smiled at Ren.

“It’s a date. Also, I wasn’t really mad to you, you know I can’t be mad at you for something so trivial.”

“Asshole, I thought I really hurt your feelings here.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s alright.” Ryuji sighted

Tonight was a great night. The two of them celebrated their first contact with Haru outside of work together. Even if they only went to their favorite ramen restaurant, it was enough for them. They couldn’t resist making a small competition about who would finish the plate the fastest. Ren won. It was silly, but that made them laugh. They spent the rest of the night talking about what Haru would like, dislike, her favorite thing, and everything they might not know about her. They didn’t need to discuss if they were poly, as it seemed clear that they just could do that.

Yes, tonight was a wonderful night.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii ! thank you for reading ! I have a bit of an hard time writing lately. Most of my chapters are already written for the most part but i'm unhappy in some of them so i might rework the part i disliked.
> 
> I don't really know what to say except see you soon for the next chapter ! (should arrive next week! i really like writting this one)


	5. Chapter five : Sunday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryuji helps Haru in her garden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's haru's birthday today ! I only realised now that i could have updated last chapter today instead of two days ago but whatever, this one was already ready to be published haha
> 
> I've been listening [to this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-0SH_ciC8Q) a lot those last few days, and i can't help to have some big vibe of our lil noir in it. I also have started [a Haru askblog on tumblr !](https://haruokumura-loves-you.tumblr.com/) If you wanna hang out or ask some stuff away feel free !

Today was Sunday. The sun was high and the sky was clear. An ideal weather for two people to work outside. Haru was delighted that Ryuji accepted to help her out. The two of them were in the garden. They carried the bag of dirt together outside. He was surprised of the weight, and wondered how such a gentle girl could carry them alone. He didn’t noticed anyone living with her too.

“Hey, Haru, do you carry them all by yourself before?”

“You mean, those bag?”

“Yeah.”

“I do. Can I reassure you if I told you I did not ask you here just so you carry them all over?”

“Well, I’m here to sweat so that’s fine.” He put down the bag close to the other ones.

She laughed. “Oh, don’t worry, you won’t have to do this only. Those were the last bags. There is some pot with sprout in the workshop, can you get them?”

“Of course!” He ran there. When he came back, he noticed Haru was already preparing the soil . “Is that the right ones?”

She turned around. “Yes! Thank you Ryuji.” She smiled.

“Heh, it’s nothing.” He went sitting next to her, putting down the pot in front of him. “I was wondering for some times now, how are things with your fiance?”

“Terrible, it’s even worse than before. I can’t understand him. I told he several time I did not want him around, but he keep trying.”

“That sucks.”

“Indeed. I have to do something about it soon, or I fear what he will do.”

“Do you want some help about it?”

“Huh?”

“You know, your situation kind of reminds me of one of my friend’s old situation. It was a before I met Ren actually.”

“Oh, really? Do you mind telling me what happens.”

“Sure...”

Back in high school, there was a teacher that abused student. It was back when Ren moved in the city. Brand new school, and yet, the first thing he met was the pervert teacher. He noticed something was odd, but he did not say that. He met Ryuji this way. Ren learned about what this miserable excuse of a teacher did. Sexual assault and physical punishment, breaking the live of hundreds of students, and the leg of Ryuji. Ren was decided to punish this man, and Ryuji wanted to help. Both decided to investigate together. Once they had proof, they reported that to both the school counselor and police. While the school didn’t do anything, the police did move in and investigate after them. Eventually, they did find enough evidence to send the teacher directly in prison. When they went to celebrate their victory, Ann, who was one the victims, went to thanks them directly. They stayed in contact, and this is how they became friends. Eventually, with time passing, Ryuji and Ren became closer to each other.

The two worked on the garden while Ryuji was counting all of that. He couldn’t help but massage his old injury when he glossed it. It was some sad time, but now, everything was much, much better. He was in a relationship where he was free and happy. Ryuji didn’t noticed he was starting rambling about their relationship on the end. Haru felt his happiness, and felt herself envy him. She wishes that she had what he have. His relationship, his life sounded so peaceful in comparison of hers. She looked down.

“Ah, sorry, I got carried away.”

“It’s alright. I feel bad for what happened to your leg, does it hurt now?” She tried to ignore her envious thought of her mind.

“It sometime hurt, but it doesn’t bother me anymore. I can run, not like I used to, but I can, and this makes me happy.”

“If I knew about your injury before, I don’t think I would have asked you to lean me your physical strength.”

“Hey, it was years ago, I’m healed now, for the most part.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’m telling you.” She let out a sigh of relieve. “To come back to the original subject, I have to admit, Ren and I were wondering if it was possible to help you out, I mean, putting this asshole out of your life.” He puts his hand on the back of his neck. “But we didn’t know if you would be ok with that.”

Haru didn’t answers right away. She stopped what she was doing, considering her options. She was unsure of what to respond. She sure wanted to this situation to stop, but could she trust them enough for that? Well, they didn’t know which company she directed, so they couldn’t try to get favor or anything. And she did trusted them enough to invite Ryuji here.

“I…”

“It’s alright if you don’t want us to interfere with your problem. Just, know that we’re here and ready to take a fight if needed.”

She looked down an instant, before turning to him. “Thank you. I’ll… consider it.”

Ryuji answered with a smile, a patient one, and a nod. “Is there anything else I can do? I mean, in the garden.”

“Right, there are some weeds we need to take care of after the sprouts.” She mentioned.

“Alright!”

Hours passed. The two of them progressed well in the garden. Haru was happy with the result. Everything looked clean and healthy. She thanked Ryuji for his help.

“Really, if there is anything I can do to thank you, please let me know.”

“Don’t worry Haru, I just wanted to help you out”

“It still makes me uncomfortable that I borrowed your time for my own project.”

Ryuji sighs. He doesn’t think he can change her mind on that. He doesn’t feel like she had to do anything for him. Maybe he can get some more time with her today.

“It’s alright.” He said. “Well, there are actually two things I’d like to ask.”

“Yes?”

“You know, I was wondering the first day you came why your name was familiar. Are you Haru Okumura? Like, your company is Okumura food right?”

She looked away. So, he knew who she was? She felt like she lied to him by not telling him the truth right away. She was scared that now, he only looked at her as just a tool. It was weird thinking of that, considering the story she heard, but this fear was, like many fear, irrational.

“Yes, I am… Sorry if I didn’t told you earlier.”

“Nah, it’s alright, I understand you wouldn’t us to know. I didn’t told Ren that honestly.”

“You didn’t?”

“Well, it would be better if you told him yourself. And beside I may have looked into something I shouldn’t have. Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine… I’m supposed to be a big name after all. Honestly, it was nice being around you, not knowing who I was and treating me like a normal client.”

“Why would it change?”

“Huh?!” She was surprised. It wasn’t something she was used to.

“You’re just Haru to me, a brave girl with responsibilities.”

She didn’t answers. She didn’t realized that she never heard this before. And she didn’t realized that she needed to hear that. She needed time to adjust. She, being herself, was sufficient for him? He cared about her? She let herself relax a second. She didn’t noticed how tensed she was until now.

“Are you ok?”

“Ah, yes, I am, I was worried about nothing.”

“So… about the second thing I would like to ask you...” He said, looking away. He was embarrassed about what he was about to ask.

“Yes?”

“Can I borrow your kitchen?”

“S-sure?”

“I know this sounds odd, but to explain quickly, I’ve always wanted to try to pick up baking, more as a hobby thing, but I was afraid that Ren would tease me about it, especially if I mess up with the preparation or the cooking. I’d like to try a recipe I’ve found online.” He paused an instant. “Man it would be awesome if I could come home with some fresh baked cookies.”

“You don’t bake at your job already?”

“I don’t, our manager decided it would be better to have pre-baked cake and all as it was quicker and cheaper as it meant no baker to employ and pay.” Painfully admitted Ryuji. “I’d love to do my own baking, or at least, for my friends and my ma’.”

“O-oh I see. Well, if that's the case, I must oblige.” She smiled. “Let me help you!”

“Of course!”

“But first, let’s at least wash the dirt off our hands.”

He looked at himself. He noticed only now how dirty his clothes were.

“I should have brought some spare clothes.” He smiled. “Well, that means it can’t get worse.”

She giggled. “Indeed. I’ll lead you to the bathroom so you can get the dirt off your face, follow me.”

He instinctively put a hand on his cheek, successfully putting more dirt there than there was before. Haru laughed, then Ryuji joined in after realizing what he did. The two of them get back inside the spacious house. Ryuji was surprised when he came here some hours ago, and he still is. It was a really huge space. The decoration was minimalist, everything looked so clean. She did mention that she had a housekeeper employed during the week to take care of most of the house. He guessed that being the leader of a huge company is a plus. Haru let him go first in the bathroom. The room was bigger than he expected. As clean as and minimalist as the rest, and very white, it’s blinding. He went to see himself in the mirror. He looked like he played on the mud. Well, he worked the whole afternoon. He asked where the washcloth was, and got his answers. He took one, and started cleaning himself. It was nice. When he was finished, he exited the room, and noticed Haru wasn’t there. He waited for her here. It only took a couple of minutes for her to reappear. She changed her clothes, and was all clean. She smiled at him, and directed him to the kitchen.

“It’s really a big house you have.” He commented.

“Well, it was my father’s house. He liked seeing things big.”

“I see. Am I being too curious if I asked you what happened to him? I suppose there is a reason he isn’t around anymore, but I didn’t heard much of it.”

She looked down, saddened. “Well, he passed away, seven months ago. It was because of some kind of illness, but I think he was poisoned.”

“Ah, sorry, I didn’t know.”

“It’s alright. I’ve already grieved him for enough time now. I have to live on, and stop dwelling in the past. But I guess that everything I’ve inherited doesn’t help me at all.”

“Ah, I see.”

“What was the recipe you wanted to try?” She asked. She didn’t want to keep talking about her dad.

“Oh yeah.” He took his phone, and start looking up for something. “And here. It’s for cookies.” He turned it around to let her see. “I think it should be simple enough so a newbie could do it. There is also a video tutorial…” She took his phone and start to read the whole instruction. “I think I can do it.”

“It looks simple enough. I have all the ingredient needed, and even if you fail, we still can retry one or two time.” She nods. “I’ve never baked anything before, but I trust you if you say it should be fine.”

“I’m not a pro at this, Ren’s the cook at home, he learned how to do a curry that taste so great with coffee, one day you should come over just to taste it. Or, well, he told me it was great with coffee, I don’t like it.”

“Ah? You’re a tea person too?”

“Eh, actually, I don’t like either of those. I’m more a… fizzy drink type of guy.”

“Not even hot chocolate?”

“Ok, maybe I’m more a hot chocolate guy.”

“If you want, I can do you one for when we’ll bake the cookies.”

“Sounds lovely.” He smiled.

“Well, I’ll get you the ingredient, there is some bowl in this drawer that you can use to mix, and a whip there.”

“Are sure a whip will be useful? It doesn’t say anything like that on the recipe…”

“Really?”

“Uh, yeah… Wait, am I supposed to mix with my own hands?”

“You can check the video, right? You said there was one.”

“Oh yeah I forgot.”

He put the video on his phone and watched it. While they were questioning what they had to do, Haru had the time to put all the ingredients near Ryuji.

“Yeah, I do.”

“Well, you should wash your hands again, just in case.” She said. She went to grab the bowl, and a plate.

“I was about to do that.” He smiled

The two of them started to prepare the cookie dough. Haru detailed the chocolate chip, while Ryuji mixed the ingredient together. It was pretty straight forward, but he glanced at his phone every minute or so, wondering if he was doing a step wrong. Haru watched him experimenting. It was fun to see him engaged like that in what he was doing. It was less fun to see the mess they did with the flour. He had some on his clothes, and his arms. She prepared a baking tray, and preheated the oven. They clearly didn’t know if their dough was done or not. It was sticky and Ryuji wondered if it was what it was supposed to do. His hand was covered. He questioned his choice of baking at her house, but only for a minute. Maybe it was better that Haru sees him like that instead of Ren. Oh does Ren love teasing him over stupid things like that. He felt at ease.

“Uh, Haru, do you think it’s good now?” He asked.

“I don’t know, I’ve never baked in my life.” She answered. “Maybe it’s ready to go in the oven now.”

“Yeah… Where’s the tray?”

“Over there!”

They formed small balls and spread them all over the baking tray. Haru puts the tray in the oven.

“I wonder how it tastes raw…” Ryuji whispered. He still had dough on his hand. The only logical action to do was to hand it to his mouth. It tasted… good? Well, he didn’t know if this is what it’s supposed to taste like. “The dough tastes good.” He comments. Haru looked at what was left in the bowl, and proceeded to imitate him.

“It is.” She agreed. “But I feel like it’s missing something.”

“Yeah.” He looked up at the recipe. “Butter, egg, sugar… We put everything right?” He turned toward Haru.

“I think so?” She proceeded to look around in the kitchen. She noticed the plate where she detailed the chocolate chips. “Oh. Merde.”

“What is it?” He was a little confused at that last word.

“I think we forgot to add the chocolate.”

“Oh. shit.”

“You think we can add them even now?”

Ryuji stared at the plate, while Haru opened the oven. She took a knife, and poked one of the balls. She was careful to not burn her hand in an accident. It was soft, but not as soft as before.

“Or maybe it will be weird if we add them now?”

“I don’t know.” He sighs. “Let, uh… clean this mess I’ve made.” He said, noticing how much flour he put everywhere. “My clothes are even dirtier than before.” He snorted.

“Well done.” She chuckled. “I’ll help you, don’t worry.”

“Thank you Haru.” He smiled

They cleaned the mess they made while the chocolate chipless cookies slowly cooked. Once they were finished, Ryuji stayed in front of the oven. Haru was off boiling some water. She asked if Ryuji was lactose intolerant, as she wanted to make him a hot chocolate. She added another pan to heat up some milk too when he answered that he wasn’t. She was watching it, just so there wasn’t another mess to clean up. She had just enough knowledge to know that milk needed constant surveillance. She used the chocolate chip to make the hot chocolate, so she wouldn’t have to waste them. Eventually, she had to put the two hot beverages into mugs, and let them cool down a little. She sat next to Ryuji.

“What hour is it?” She asked. She started to wonder if it was late, and she didn’t want Ryuji to come home in the middle of the night. He took his phone and checked the time.

“It’s only 6pm…”

“Oh, I see. I was wondering, does Ren wait for you today?”

“I think so. I think he’ll have a ton of questions about how the day went, and what we did.”

“Is he jealous?”

“Oh no, it’s more a “I want to know if you had a good time” kind of way. And beside, he wouldn’t have let me come here if he was jealous.” He smiled.

“It must be nice to have someone that cares about you like that.” She said, hiding the small hint of sadness she had.

“It is. I’m lucky to have someone like him in my life. I don’t know where I would be if it wasn’t for him. With him, I truly can be myself.”

“I wish I had someone like Ren.” She hid her pain with a smile, and looked down. This comment made Ryuji snort.

“I’m sure you’ll find someone sooner or later.” He didn’t want to spill out the fact that Ren does have a crush on her. He smiled at her.

“You’re quite hopeful for my future.”

“Why wouldn’t I? I mean, sure, there is your fiance problem, but soon it will be ok, right?”

“I hope so.”

They didn’t talk for one or two minutes.

“I was wondering, did you enjoy today?” He asked

“Well, it was fun to garden with you. You were a great help.” She replied. “And baking afterward, even if, let’s be honest, it was sketchy, I had a good time.”

“We messed up the recipe.” He laughed.

“We don’t know yet, it’s not because we forgot the chocolate chip it won’t turn out good.” She smiled.

“That’s true, that’s true... Hell, I really had a great time with you.”

“Same here.”

They watched the cookies together. Ryuji hoped today was a great break in Haru’s stressful life. The sweet smell of the cookies perfume the air. When they felt like the little biscuits were ready, they took them off the oven. They put the tray on the countertop. They looked well done.

“I think they should be good.” Ryuji commented. “We should let them cool down.”

“I’ll put them on a plate, please, take a seat over there.” She smiled.

Ryuji nods and sits on one of the chairs. She gave him the hot chocolate, and put her tea in front of her seat. She came afterward with the biscuits. She sat in front of him. They had a small break together. The cookies were fine, for a first try. The two of them chatted little about work. It was soon for Ryuji to come back home. Haru drove him home. They waved at each other before he entered the apartment complex.

When he entered his home, he was welcomed by Ren. They discussed a little about each other’s day. Ryuji did not mention the little baking experience. He wanted to make it a surprise for later. The evening was calm. They couldn’t wait until they next saw Haru.

Today was a long day. Today was a great day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hot chocolate gang rise up! I think it's a shame it's not that widly accepted as a legit hot drink along tea and coffee. I think we can see how much i like baking and how i never really garden in my writing
> 
> I might write more ryuharu because it sounds like a great couple, or some more pegoharu idk yet, but haru deserve some love maaan 
> 
> Next update in two weeks, around the 18th, stay tuned !
> 
> i never know how to write recepie


	6. Chapter six : Turbulant day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ann have a cancelled photoshoot, so she visit the couple at the shop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter where i commit crime. 
> 
> I would also like to add that [this photoset](https://lakuronekobaka.tumblr.com/post/637839749324980224) radiate haru with either of the two boys energy, and i'll def doodle that

Today was a rainy day. A light and peaceful one. The two boys were at the shop. Ren was at the counter, watching the rain fall onto the pavement. A blond girl entered the shop.

“Hi there!” She smiled.

“Ah, Ann, it was a long time since we last met.” Ren commented. “What’s bringing you here?”

“Canceled shooting. Will there be a lot of people there?”

“Not really, it’s raining, and I know we don’t have many clients on Mondays anyway.” He commented.

“Oh cool, I won’t have to suffer the “Wait, did I already meet her somewhere” torment.” She laughed. Ryuji arrived from the kitchen. They waved at each other.

“Yeah. Being a model must be hard.”

“Sometimes, usually it’s fun, but sometimes, it’s more tiring than anything. You know Ren, our agency might need someone like you from time to time. You’re quite charming.”

“I don’t want to participate in some kind of photo shoot, sorry. Ask Ryuji.”

“Renren, you know I’m not fit for this.” He commented.

“It’s more a “We don’t need athlete” kind of situation.”She corrected him.

“Anyways, how are you with Shiho?”

“Did Ryuji tell you?”

“About marriage? Yep, but I wanted to know if you can get us updated.” He smirked a little.

“Nothing new, she’s kind of busy already with the class and me too with the agency, we preferred taking care of ourselves before anything.”

“That’s understandable.”

“And you guys, anything new?”

“Not really.”

“Really? Nothing new by your side Ryuji?” She asked

“We did discuss a bit about Haru.”

“You mean, like before or?”

“We both hav-” The door rang. A girl under an umbrella came in. She looked like she ran there.

“Aah, good grief.” She commented. She closed the umbrella, and put it away. It was Haru. She smiled at the sight of the two boys

“I serve you the usual?” Asked Ren to Ann

“Yup, and double the cake please, it’s been so long since I didn’t treat myself like that.”

“Right away” Confirmed Ryuji.

When Ann walked past Ryuji, she asked him if it was her, and he confirmed that. She took a seat in one of the most hidden tables. It was her usual spot, she didn’t like being seen outside of work at this kind of place. Her popularity always brings too many customers to handle at once, making the place more hostile. Ren started to prepare her order when he turned to Haru.

“Hey Haru, how is it going?” He smiled.

“Quite good.” She nodded. “Ryuji, I’d like to thank you for the other day.”

“It was nothing, don’t worry.”

Ann gave a look to Ryuji. They will have stuff to talk about later on.

“It’s unusual to find you here this early, are you sure something didn’t happen.”

“I’m sure.”

“Well, if nothing happens, what do I serve you? The usual?”

“Actually, this time, I would like a coffee.”

Ren was surprised by that. “My, my, being adventurous?”

“Not exactly. My grand-father used to have a cafe when I was younger, but at the time I wasn’t that ready to taste coffee. I was just wondering if today, I could try returning to my origin.”

“I see. Do you know what you want exactly?”

“I’m putting my trust in you.”

She could see sparkles in his eyes. It was sometimes since he had the freedom of what kind of blend he could serve. He wishes he had more words to say in what to serve. It reminded him of the time where he was with the old man. He teaches him all he knew about coffee, and it grew on him. It slowly became a passion to Ren.

“Well, I shall not disappoint you, darling.” He smiled. “Biscuits?”

“Please.”

“Have a seat, I’ll prepare it for you.”

Ren finished preparing Ann’s drink. He gave it to Ryuji who was about to deliver it. Ren knew his lover would like to chat a little with Ann, so he took over his part of the job. He started working on Haru’s drink when he heard the door slam open. A man wearing a white tuxedo came in. He looked over the clients here.

“So, this is where I find you!” He spoke. His voice was loud, it drew the attention of everyone in the shop. Haru didn’t face him, head low. He came closer to the girl before he’s interrupted.

“Hello, what can I serve you?” Ren asked in his most customer service voice. He had an idea about the situation. Ryuji, who was next to Ann, took out his phone. He had a bad feeling about this. This reminded him about someone he wished he could forget. He was ready to call the police in case of something going violent.

“Ms Okumura, when I speak to you, I want you to look at me.” He commands. She stood up. “Why didn’t you answer my messages?”

“I told you to not contact me anymore.” She said in a cold voice. She had enough control over herself to not let her growing anger and anxiety do as they pleased. She turned around and faced him. She stared at him right in the eyes.

“Why wouldn’t I? I am your fiance, do I have to remind you?”

“I already told you that I want to break up with you. No, we broke up.” She stood for herself. She had to. Ren was only watching this. He was recording with his phone the scene ever since he asked his question. He stayed calm, ready to jump in between the two, and make this facade of a man go away.

“Who was with you yesterday?”

“A friend. Am I not able to meet a friend?”

“Are you sure you aren’t cheating on me?”

“We aren’t in a relationship anymore, I told you. We never were.”

He took her arm, gripping her. She tried to pull off, but he seemed to resist her.

“If your father was here, he would be so disappointed in you.”

“Father isn’t there anymore. I am not his puppet anymore. I am not-”

He hit her.

He smacked her.

She was stunned. She couldn’t finish her sentence. He just shattered her confidence.

The two boys in the back looked at each other, and nodded. Ryuji dialed the number, and Ren went on the other side of the counter. Ann decided that being a spectator wasn’t a strong suit to her. She walked up to that so-called man. She made sure she was between Haru and him.

“What do you think you are doing?” The blond girl asked.

“Who do you think you are? Why do you meddle in our conversation?” He answered.

“This is not a conversation. Leave her alone.” She said.

“Why would I? She’s mine.”

“She told you she isn’t. You are merely an excuse for a man.”

This angered him more than he was already. He released Haru’s arm, and stepped toward Ann.

“You will pay for this affront.” Ann crossed her arms, staring at him. He raised his hand. He felt something stopping him hitting her. Ren was holding the man's arm. Ann stepped away to give him some space.

“Sir, I am sorry, but I can’t let you stay here. You are disrupting business here.” Ren tried to stay professional. If he didn’t need this job, he would have hit him in the face. Ann would have too, but she knew she shouldn’t. Maybe Ryuji too if he wasn’t in the back.

“Well, I am in the middle of my business. May you leave me alone?”

“Those two girl here are my clients. It is my responsibility to give them a great stay. Something we can’t have if we have you making a scene here. We suggest you leave now. Police will be here soon.”

The tuxedo wearing man ignored Ren’s warning. He turned to Haru.

“Haru, tell me, is this blond man over there the man you met yesterday?”

She didn’t answer. She was looking down, defeated.

“Answers me!”

Ren stepped closer. He reached out a hand, and held the man’s tie.

“I told you to **leave**.” His tone was cold, filled with anger. The emphasis on the last word had enough power to frighten everyone there. The man finally looked at him. Ren’s eyes were filled with hate. He felt like he could kill him just by looking at him.

“Alright.” Ren let him go. “But don’t hope this is the last time we met. Hear that?”

“I hear that.” Ren answered calmly. “Now, please, if you could leave.” He insist.

“Hmf.” The man turned away, and walked out of the shop. The tension dropped.

“Are you ok Haru?” Asked Ryuji immediately when the door closed. He rushed to check if she was ok.

“I… think so.” She was holding the place she got hit. “I was afraid this would happen. I should have known that he spied on me.”

“If we didn’t interfere, who knows what would have happened to you.” Whispered Ren. “I should have acted earlier.”

“No, Ren, you did good.” Reassured Ann. “You got it all recorded?”

“Yes.” He had his phone in hand, showing the screen on the camera app.

“Ryuji, you called the police right?”

“Yeah.”

“I think with Haru’s testimony, the police will have no problem restraining him from doing any harms.” She concluded.

“Are you sure?” Haru asked, a bit of panic in her voice. She was really worried.

“Well, this is what we did with that pervy teacher back then, right?” Mentioned Ryuji.

“Indeed.” Added Ren. “Except we don’t have to work in the shadows to have our evidence this time. Maybe we should have been detectives instead of baristas.” He joked around.

“Your coffee’s too good, sorry Ren but you are a way better barista than a detective.”

Haru sat on her seat.

“Ah, right, we didn’t do a presentation. Ann, this is Haru, I told you about her last time.” Said Ryuji. “And Haru, this is Ann, I… Also told you about her the other day. Or, well, I don’t think it really was useful to present Haru after… him.”

“Yeah. It’s nice to meet you, tho.” Ann smiled. She went in the back to grab her order, and sat down with Haru.

“Yeah… I wish you hadn’t seen that.”

“It’s alright. Besides, you are safe here. I know those two boys would not run away from this.”

She didn’t respond right away.

“I don’t know what to do now. I can’t go home, especially when… _He_ has access to it.”

Ann looked at the couple, who was back to work, kinda. Ryuji was a bit nervous. What just happened gave him some bad flashbacks. He was in the back cleaning the table Ann sat at first, despite it being already clean. Ren prepared Haru’s coffee.

“Well, how about you don’t come home today.”

“Huh?”

“I’m _suuuuure_ those two over there would welcome you in _their home_ for some times, just in the time things settles down.”

Ryuji didn’t like how Ann tried to push them. He had to hide his growing blush. He went back to the kitchen. He wasn’t ready to have Haru come at home. Ren kept a straight face, his glasses covered by condensation.

“Ann, what are you trying to do?” Ren asked. He knew what she tried to do.

“Nothing, I’m just stating options.” She said, smirking to the black haired boy.

“You can’t just say that she can come to my home, you don’t live with us.” He served the coffee and biscuits to the shorter girl.

“Well, am I wrong tho, you _do_ would like her to stay with you just so she’s safe.”

Ren sighted in defeat. “You are right.”

Haru took a sip of her coffee. The coffee was at her taste. Ren chooses it well. He turned to her.

“Anyways, as Ann said, if you do need a home for some day, just to be safe, send us a message.”

“Thank you… I’ll think about it.”

Some opened the door. The police arrived. It was a familiar brunette girl, with a serious look on her face. She looked around, and saw nothing abnormal.

“Was the call a phone prank?” She asked, going straight to the point. She looked a little annoyed.

“Not really.” Said Ren, understanding it might look confusing at first. “I’ll explain what happened.” He turned away a second. “Ryuji, can you take care of the client while I talk to the police?”

“Can do.”

Ren led the policewoman more in the back, to not bother the two girls. They started chatting a little. He stated the whole situation to the officer. He showed the video proof he recorded. She was thinking. She asked if she could talk to the victim, and he pointed where she was. She walked up to her, and asked her some questions. Minutes later, she walks up to the door.

“Thank you for reporting. Be assured that I will put people on this case.”

“Is what we give you enough?” Asked Ren.

“More than enough, yes. I might need to contact you later, Haru. For now, stay safe.”

“Alright.”

She left. Ren sighs. He hopes she will do her job well. At least, some procedure started. He turned to Haru.

“Is there anything you need?”

“I think… I might stay with you today and tomorrow.”

“Oh, ok!”

“I have to go now… Thank you for the coffee, it was great.” She smiled. “I’ll contact you when I’ll be out of work.”

“See you later.” Ren waved.

Haru took her umbrella. She exited the shop. The rain stopped. Ann was looking at Ren.

“So, you two have a crush on her, is that what Ryuji was about to say before she came here?” She asked.

“Heh, yeah.”

“I think you two would be a great match for her.”

“Thank you.”

Ryuji eventually joined in with the conversation. They spent most of the afternoon together, discussing life, and Haru. Some clients joined during the day, but it was mostly calm. Today was a turbulent day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The crime was putting Sugimura as an actual character and not just a mention. I would also like to add that each time i see his face i wanna punch him real bad. (the only good thing about him is that i don't have to deal with dialogue color lol)  
> The crime was also hurting Haru in the process.
> 
> I think ann need more love too, she's a great girl
> 
> Next chapter will be much more sweet coated, with the boys being kind and sweet, and Haru having to deal with it
> 
> edit : oh my god i'm so sorry for the accidental hiatus i can't stay focused in writing for too long now and that sucks so much... I had to rewrite most of the next chapter too bc i was unhappy with the result i hope you understand ;v; It's going to be a big update that said, with a lot of discussions, as of january 6 2021, there is around... 4k3 words for it, or more than 1/3 of the whole fic content lmao  
> Hopefully, i'll be able to update it in a week or two, it's not abandonned at all, thank you for your patience !


	7. Chapter seven : Calm Evening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haru spends the evening at Ren and Ryuji's appartement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry if it tooks time but i kinda had an hard time to get motivated to write and all, especially since i was supposed to have this chapter ready but actually no because i rewrote it for... 85% i think. Things moved a little irl too, i'm looking for a job, and in the meantime i've been more creative than ever! To name a few, i'm experimenting in creating my own (clay) figurines and garage kit, but also coming back to crochet, doing a jack frost pulshy as i'm talking, and pehaps doing some gamedev too! I've participated to the global gamejam and we were able to produce something (it's in french so uh yeah).  
> I need to find a new workflow because rn i kinda do things when i feel like it, and that means I write at midnight/1am
> 
> I'm very excited for strikers, i can't wait to see my little boys and girl!!!!
> 
> there is a *lot* of dialogues in this chapter, it was a nightmare to edit to add in color, but i'm glad of how it looks and how easier it is to track who's talking so /shrug  
> Also, i kinda was a bit (a lot) self indulgent here 
> 
> And Happy valentines day!

Haru was on her phone. She looked at all the contacts she had. She clicked on the one she named “Pretty coffee boy”. It wasn’t that she didn’t remember his name, but it was the best way she had to put a face on the number. She called it.

“Hello?” A masculine voice picked up.

“Ah, good evening!”

“Haru! How are you since this afternoon.”

“I’m fine. I just wanted to say that I was out of work, and I will soon arrive at your apartment complex.”

“Ah, I see. You’ll have to wait a bit, we still aren’t out of work, Ryuji’s with the manager, and I’m waiting for him.”

“It’s alright.”

“Well, see you in a bit!”

“See you!”

Was there something wrong? Hopefully, they will be ok. She was in her car. She prepared a small suitcase for her small stay. She checked everything was in order before driving to their place. There was busy traffic. After all, it was the time where everyone would go home. She was patient with that. She didn’t know if the two boys had a car, or if they could drive. She wondered a lot about them lately. She really liked them both, they were kind, with good intentions. She did trust them a little, or well, enough for her to stay at their place. She noticed that she was happier now than she was weeks ago. She caught herself smiling thinking about that. She didn’t think much about it, after all, her routine has been changed for the better.

She arrived close to where they lived. She found a place to park her car, and walked up to the front of the building, suitcase in hand. She sent a message to say that she arrived. She looked around at the neighborhood. It was a calm place in the suburb. Some balconies had flowers. She noticed two familiar silhouettes in the distance. They walked towards her.

Ryuji and Ren were back home. They were welcomed by Haru.

“I hope you didn’t wait too much.” Asked Ren.

“Oh, it’s alright don’t worry. You did warn me you would take some time before arriving.”  She smiled.

Ryuji opened the door of the building, inviting her in. They all walked up the stairs until they arrived in front of the door. Ren found his keys in his pocket and unlocked the door.

“After you, milady. ” He said, making her smile.

The apartment was messy. They didn’t have time to clean up before her coming. There were dirty dishes on the table, clothes lying around near the couch, not counting the mess their cat made in their absence. Morgana was on top of his cat tree, woken up by the couple’s arrival. He was curious about the new face.

“Welcome to our home, don’t mind the mess, we did not expect to have a guest today.” Said Ryuji, walking in after her. He took some of the clothes.  “Ren, I take care of cleaning the living room.”

“Alright. Oh, wait, I just noticed, we don’t have any room for her to sleep.”

“Oh? Ah shit it’s true...”

“It’s alright, I can sleep o-…” She wanted to give her opinion on the matter.

“There is no way we’re letting her sleep on the couch.”

“I know right? But our bed is big only for us two…”

“We can make room for her there?”

“I don’t think so, it’s a bit too small for that. One of us has to sleep on the couch.”

“I can sleep on it, there is no problem with that.” Interrupted Haru.

“No!” They both said simultaneously.

“W-Why not?”

“You’re our guest, and I wouldn’t pardon myself if we receive you poorly.” Said Ren.

“And the couch is pretty old and it won’t be that comfortable to sleep on. That’s why I choose to sleep on it.”  Mentioned Ryuji.

“No, you have the bed, you already have a bad posture, I don’t want you to hurt yourself more by sleeping on something not meant for that. I’ll take it.”  Said Ren.

“I ain't letting you go on the couch Ren.”

“Me either. Let’s settle that with a game, alright?”

“We won’t touch the console for that, you are better than me in all the games we have, we both know.”

“Ok, what do you propose then?”

“Rock paper scissors. Can’t go wrong with that.”

“I’m fine with it. The winner will have the couch then.”

“Let’s do this quickly and in one throw, ok?”

Ren nods. The two boys stared at each other's eyes. They were both determined to let the other on the bed with Haru. They both hesitated a moment before they played the game. One. Two. Three. Ren played paper, while Ryuji played scissors. The girl was a bit confused at the situation. They looked very intense for something so trivial.

“Yes!” He shouted. Ren sighted.

“I guess I’ll sleep with Haru then.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. For once stuff is going my way.”

She guessed that she had to sleep with the pretty boy with black hair. She wasn’t really comfortable with this idea, but she suppose she’ll have to deal with it.

“Uh, where can I put my suitcase?” She asked

“Oh right, follow me.”  Said Ren. They went to the bedroom. It was a bit more cleaner than the living room.  “I think you can notice that our apartment is really small, I’m sorry for that.”

“It’s alright. It’s a true change of pace from my house.”

“Is it big?”

“You would be surprised to see it. Ryuji was impressed. It really feels lonely since I’m the only one living there.”

Ren nods at that. “I can understand, it must be hard.”

“I’m used to it, don’t worry.”

“I think I still should, loneliness is a horrible feeling. If you ever feel bad because of that, feel free to send me a message, if I’m not busy, I would be more than happy to chat with you.”

“Really?”

“Y-yeah” He feels his cheeks heat up a little. “Anyways, I should show you where the bathroom is, and everything you may need.”

“That would be great, thank you.”

“You are welcome.” Ren smiled. “I’d rather have you with us than somewhere you’ll be in danger. I didn’t need to see him more to see what his deal is… What a possessive asshole.”

“It is true…”

“Don’t worry tho. If it wasn’t to keep my job, I would have punched him.” He chuckled.  “If there is anything you need, tell me.”

“Thank you.” She said. She puts her suitcase near one of the walls. She sat on the bed for an instant. “You know you could have let me sleep on the couch, I wouldn’t have minded. After all I-”

“No no no no no. As we both said, we both didn’t want you to sleep on the couch, we don’t want to receive you poorly. I really didn’t want Ryuji to sleep on the couch too, but he’s mind is set to that and I don’t think I can change it. I hate that he got it his way.” He sighs. “You may know that he had his leg broken back then, right?”

“He told me about the teacher incident.” She nods.

“Well, there isn’t only that that went bad in his life. His father was also an asshole. I don’t know all the things he did to him, but I know he liked punishing Ryuji, in a horrible way.”  He could feel himself clenching his fist.  “He would… I’ve heard he beated him, and his mom. And maybe worse, like starving him or god knows what… I’ve seen Ryuji go to some lengths for others, it worried me for his health. He might look like he’s done with that, but I can tell he’s not. He never really thinks about himself first...”

“I think… I kind of noticed that.”

“Today, it was fine, because Ann and I were here in the front lane, and he knew that it would be ok, because he trusted us to deal with that shit, but if he was alone… I really don’t know what would have been the result. I… I think he would have thrown himself in and punched him in the face. He did that with the teacher…”

“He punched him in the face?”

“Yep. He might have deserved it, it was the reason he had his leg broken in the first place.”

“I see…”

“Maybe he could have stayed frozen in place, not being able to do anything. I know he’s sensible when people shout when they’re angry, he can get anxious because of it...”

Ren looked away from Haru, thinking a little about what he just said.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have told you all of that, that was uncalled for.” He said, giving her a melancholic gaze. “I shouldn’t bother you with this when you already have much to deal with.”

“Oh, no, it’s alright. He seems to have had a bad time.”  She politely denies.

“Yeah… I hope he’s fine now. I wouldn’t pardon myself if my sunshine is down for some unknown reason.”

“I think he’s happy with his current life.” She says. Ren answered with a smile.

“I’m glad to hear that. I’ll see what he’s doing, make yourself at home!”

She nods at him in response. She started to take her clothes out of her case. Ren left the room, and joined Ryuji in cleaning the living room.

“You good?” He asked.

“Much better than at work. I got so stressed up by that asshole.” Ryuji answered before sighing.  “I’m glad you were here to deal with it.”

“Don’t worry, now everything’s good now.”

“Yeah… What did you plan for today’s dinner?”

“I don’t really know, I was thinking that since we had Haru with us, I may do my specialty, you know.”

“Oh, oh, you mean your curry?”He asked for confirmation.

“Yeah, but I don’t know if I have enough ingredients for that.”

“Well, I can go to the grocery store quickly to get what’s missing.”

“That would be wonderful sunshine. Oh, also, I need to talk to you about what the ma...”

They heard noises from the bedroom. It was like something big just fell. There was Morgana running in the whole apartment. He came from where Haru was.

“We’ll see that later?”

“Yeah. Can I ask you to get me some veggies sunshine? I’ll see how Haru’s doing.”

“Sure Renren!”

Ryuji kissed Ren’s cheek before looking for a bag.

Ren went back to the bedroom. He found Haru staring at a mess, her phone in hand. It seems that a box fell down, taking some cloth with it.

“What happened?” Ren asked. He already had an idea about the cat’s behavior.

“Ah! ” She was surprised.  “I don’t really know. The cat was here, but I might have scared it.”

“You must have accidentally touched him or something like that, he started running like crazy, jumped on the drawer, to access the wardrobe, went on the box to look at you, but was too close to the edge and fell down.”

“I didn’t really watch him so I don’t really know...”

“It’s alright, it happens more often than you think. Morgana can be a little stressed with people he doesn’t know are around. Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m alright.”  She nodded. Her phone rang a second later. She glanced at the screen in an instant. She frowns. “I’m sorry, it seems that the company still needs me.”

“It’s alright. I’ll make some curry tonight. Tell me when you’re finished.”

She nods as she picks up. It was a little weird to see her switch from her usual calm and relaxed mask to her business and serious mask. Ren picked up the box and put it back to where it was. He was about to check the time when Ryuji called him to know what exactly he needed to get. He went to the kitchen to check what they had so he could tell him. Morgana seemed to have calmed down, as he walked up to him and bonked his head on Ren’s leg. He pet the cat’s head, who meowed in response. Ryuji groaned at the other side of the phone as he heard the pet’s noise. Ren chuckled. He hangs up after telling his love he’s his favorite person in the world. Morgana meowed once again, it was a little longer than the last time.

“Oh, ok mona, I’m going to feed you.” He said as he walked up to the shelf where they kept the cat food. The cat always had access to dry food but was daily given wet food. The cat kept on passing in front of Ren as he walked. “Hey, stop that, I’m going to kick you if you continue like this.”  He warns in vain. The cat continued while meowing, impatient. The little fur ball jumped on the counter. Ren sighed.  “Get down.” He said, while the cat only stared at him. He took the cat food, and a plate, before trying to order the cat to get back on the floor in vain. He struggled to keep the cat away from eating while he was serving. Morgana also protested when Ren took the plate to put it where he usually eats. The fluffy haired boy was wondering if they forgot to feed him the last day or if Mona was being greedy for more food. He watched over the cat while he ate a little before hearing Haru trying to get his attention.

“Ren?”

He turned around, looking at her. She looked a little embarrassed.

“Yeah?”

“I think you forgot to show me where the bathroom was.”

“Oh right. It’s the first door at your left. I was wondering, what do you eat in the morning?”

“I usually have some tea with biscuits.”

“I see.”  Ren glanced around in the kitchen. They did not have any biscuits. He took his phone out to send a message to Ryuji. Hopefully he wasn’t out of the store yet. He also noticed that this was what she ordered when she came at the shop. Does she have a sweet tooth?

“But don’t worry, I can grab some pastry before going to work too, I know my presence here is sudden and you didn’t have anytime to prepare.”

“Oh, but I don’t worry Haru. I just want you to be comfortable here.”

“Oh, I see… T-thank you.”  She muttered shyly, before going in the direction of the bathroom.

Ren glanced at the phone. He received a message from Ryuji.

_ “Already out, sorry” _

__ _ “That’s fine, thanks anyways.” _

__ _ “here in 5 min” _

__ _ “kthx” _

__ It was time for him to prepare the dinner.

  
  


\-------------------------------------------

  
  


Ren called Haru. Dinner was ready. She arrived in the room, she was typing on her phone something quickly.

“The company again?” He asked. He was serving the food to everyone.

“Sadly. It appears that there was still work to be done when I left today.”

“Bringing work home isn’t really a healthy thing to do.”  Commented Ryuji.

“You used to never do your homework back in high school, Ryuji.”

“This isn’t the subject Ren.”

“You are right, I’ll tell them that I won’t respond anymore for today.” Haru sighed.  “I did not expect Sugimura to create problems within the company during the afternoon. He seems that he wasn’t really happy that I tried to stand up for myself...”

“You mean your fiance?”

“Ah, yes, it’s him. I wonder how the situation will evolve…”

“Well, it can’t be worse than before, right?”

“I hope so. Hopefully he will stop trying…”

“Yeah. Let’s not talk about this asshole.” Ryuji said, looking annoyed.  “You need to relax for a bit. What would you like to do after the dinner?”

“Huh?”

“Oh, maybe we can play together? I doubt she plays video games but the tabletop should be fine… or maybe cards?” Ren added.

“I wouldn’t mind… playing chess, but this would exclude someone…”

“It’s fine, I’ve got some solo games to continue anyways.” Ryuji mentioned.  “Like, that one puzzle crossover game… Did you finish it when I wasn’t here Renren?”

“Yeah, about that, sorry but I don’t think I can play it with you anymore. Alibaba wanted to play with me and she teached me some stuff at the same time. I’m out of your league now.”

“Not fun, I’ll pester her to give me some lessons too.”

“Good luck in convincing her, it took me over an hour of her beating my ass up before she decided to agree to showing me a single trick only because it bored her.”

“Damn.”

“There must be some tips online tho, you should check out. Also, be careful the cpu can be quite hard in the story mode.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll see that. I’m not that far in and it’s a breeze.”

“You’ll regret your words.”

Haru chuckled. She didn’t realize how hungry she was until she started digging into her plate. She wasn’t used to eating with people. The curry tasted awesome, the best she ever had. She was surprised at how good Ren was at cooking. She couldn’t resist but feel jealous at Ryuji for being able to get this kind of food everyday. She didn’t realize how much she wanted to be at his place. Ren seemed to be a great husband. The blond man was lucky. She wondered why she felt so envious at him, but ended up putting those feelings away. She wasn’t ready to deal with that now. The boys continued their idle chat over a game she didn’t really understand what it was about while they were eating. Apparently the recently added characters created some wave in the community.

Eventually, they all finished eating. Ryuji went to ruffle Ren’s hair before going to the shower. Ren took all the now empty plates to the kitchen. Ren’s portion was always generous. He went back a minute or two later with two cup, one of coffee and one of tea. He put the tea cup in front of his guest.

“Oh, thank you, you didn’t have to, you know.”

“Don’t worry about that.”  Smiled Ren, putting his cup where he will be sitting. He looked for the board in the closet. When he found it, he put the pieces on it.  “It’s been sometimes since I played chess.” He commented. He finished preparing the board. He let Haru choose her color. She took white. “It will be fun.”

“It’s the same here. I used to play with some of my housekeepers when I was younger.”

“I tend to forget that you do have the means to have housekeepers around. I feel like you are someone that could have been in my school. I mean, with Ryuji and Ann. We could have been friends back then.”

The two of them played while they were talking.

“Well, it would have required that my father choose to send me to a public school.”

“Oh, but we were in an elite prep school actually. Shujin academy, to be exact.”

“Shujin?”

“Yeah, are you familiar with this school?”

“Yes, my father sent me there. I suppose that, as I’m older than you, I was already out when you came in.”

“Oh, well, it is possible. You heard about Kamoshida?”

“The former athlete? I have heard the scandals about him.”

“Well, he is the teacher Ryuji punched.”

“He wasn’t there when I was here.”

“So, you graduated at least a year before I arrived here.”

“Are you trying to guess my age?”  She laughed.

“Just a little bit. I know how impolite it is to ask this kind of stuff.”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine with that. I’m twenty six year old.”

“Three year older than us.”

“We aren’t that far in ages.”

“As I have guessed. I was wondering, you don’t talk that often about your mother. Did something happen to her?”

“Well, she never really was in my life. My father never talked about her. He only says that she was the sweetest woman he had ever met, and that she died in an accident when I was a year old.”

“Ah, I see.”

“I wonder how things would have played if she was still here. I mean, I don’t remember at all, but I wish I could have met her.”

“I wonder if she was as sweet as you.” It made her smile.

“Well, it would be wonderful. I wonder, I’ve never heard of your past, or well, before you met Ryuji.”

“Oh, nothing much happened. I was living in a small town named Inaba before my parents sent me to Tokyo for two years. It got to the news when I was younger one or two time, but I kind of forgot the reason why.”

“I’ve heard of it. Wasn’t there… murder or something like that?”

Ren was thinking for a moment.

“I think so, but the culprit was found as far as I know. The city is known for our mines, or so that’s what some old man always said, but most importantly the inn. The manager is really a cool girl, maybe you should meet her one day.”

“I’ll see when my schedule would allow me to have some time for myself.”

“Yeah, if your company needs you when you are off the clock, I think I can see all the stress you are going through. Anyways, it rained a lot, there wasn’t much to do, so when I arrived in Tokyo, the change of setting was baffling, like, could you imagine not needing to take a train to have something to do?”

“I suppose so.”  She chuckled.

“Aaah, to think that one of the first students I meet there would be the one I share my life with. I think the kid I used to be would be amazed.”

“I wish one day I’ll have someone that I want to share my life with.”

“I’m sure you will find it. Sooner than you think. Check.”

“Ryuji said the same thing.” She said. She looked down, a little sad.

“Are you ok?”

“Ah, yes, don’t worry about me. It’s just that with my work taking more and more place in my life, I don’t get to meet a lot of new people. And if I meet them, I don’t know if I can trust them.”

“Because of your company I suppose?”

“Yes.”

“You know, to this day, I still wonder which company you lead.”

“Uh, well… Ryuji figured it out. Check.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yes, he told me he didn’t want to tell you because I wanted to hide it. I don’t really have any more reason to hide it now, as this poor excuse a man called me by my name. My father was Kunikazu Okumura. I’m the president of Okumura Food.”

Ren took time to understand her words.

“You mean, the big bang burger chain, you own it?”

“Indeed. I do own a lot of other things too.”

“Well, I sure now understand why you kept it a secret for a long time.”

“I hope you aren’t mad.”

“I’m not. I’m actually impressed you find the courage to tell me that.”

“It was harder learning that Ryuji knew for some time now who I was.”

“Well, Madame Okumura, fear not, we will still consider you as a friend before considering you as the leader of Okumura food.”

“I don’t think your boyfriend would appreciate you calling me Madame.”

“He’s fine with it, we discussed this kind of stuff. If he wasn’t anymore he would have to tell me.”

“Oh, I-I see.”

Ryuji was back from the shower. He had changed himself in the process, now wearing a panda onesie. He went directly to the couch, turning his console on and booted up his game. Haru and Ren continued their game in silence, before he spoke again.

“I was wondering, do you have other hobbies than gardening?”

“Not really, I don’t really have the time for that. I used to go to ballet when I was way younger, but I never picked it up again. What about you?”

“Coffee making, video games, making small dumb bet with my partner and reading are the one I can think of, honestly.”

“Oh, what kind of book do you read?”

“Dunno, mythology and legends, comics, and historical fiction, I guess. I have a soft spot for heroes of the shadows, like phantom thieves. I don’t really have a focus on one theme.”

“I think that’s great. You also have a good deal of skills right?”

“Yeah, I guess you can say I’m a jack of all trade.”

“I think it’s something really cool.”

“Hehe, thank you.”

“I used to read a lot of classical literature, French and Japanese.”

“You know how to speak French?”

“Yes, along English.”

“That’s really cool.”

“Hey, can you teach us some french words?”  Ryuji asked, pausing his game to have all his attention to the conversation.

“Like what?”

“Let me guess, you want to learn the swear words sunshine?”

“Yeah, and?”

“You really want the kind and polite Haru to swear just for that?”

“Oh, but I already swore in front of Ryuji the other day.”

“What?” They both said in surprise. Their reaction made her laugh.

“Yes, it is a bit embarrassing to realize that you two had this polite image of me. Sorry to break it.”

“What was the word, I don’t think I remember it.”

“It was “merde”, which means “shit”. There is also the locution “mot de cambronne” that refers to it without saying it.”

“Oooh yeah, I remember now.”

“Haru saying shit really is something I didn’t know I wanted to experience.”  Ren joked around

“I can say other stuff if you want.”  She chuckled.

“Actually, it’s alright, I don’t want to force you to say things...”

“What’s the french for fuck?”  Ryuji asked.

“Apparently, I’m the only one that doesn’t want to force you to say things.”

“It’s alright. “Fuck” means “baiser” but if you want to use it like the swear word, it’s better to use “putain”.”

“Wait, I don’t know much about french but isn’t “baiser” like “kiss” too?”

“Well, yes. “Un baisé” means “a kiss” but “baiser” means “to fuck”.”

“I see.”  Said Ren.  “Was the language hard to learn?”

“From a Japanese perspective, it was. The difference in the writing, the grammar, and conjugation was really tricky to get right at first. If you know English, it actually becomes easier. The grammar is similar, and a decent part of the vocabulary have the same origin.”

“Ren, don’t tell me you want to learn the language.”

“Why not?”

“I can already hear you flirting with me in french and I wouldn’t understand shit.”

“You know I already can.”

“Yeah, yeah, you looked up cheesy pick up lines on a website one day and called it a day.”

“That is not true.”

“What line do you know?”  The lady asked, more to stop the two mans in their disagreement than having a response. What she did not expect was to see Ren blush. He looked embarrassed.

“W-well, you are catching me off g-guard. And it feels weird that this time the other will understand what I say”

“Oh, it’s rare to see you like this. Since when the guy that keeps flirting with clients isn’t able to find a pick up line?”

“S-shuddup.”

“It’s ok, you don’t have to.”

“Y-yeah, thanks.”

“I didn’t know you’d back up here Renren.”  Ryuji teased, making Haru giggle a little.

“If you want, I can give you a pick up line.” She said.

“Really?”

“Yes, but I’m not giving you the meaning.”

“I’ll look for it then.”

“Well, how about… “Es ce que tu serais un voleur? Parce que je crois que tu m’as pris mon coeur.””  She couldn’t help herself but blush as she said that.

“Something about thieves and heart…”  Ren recognized two of the words.

“I don’t know what it means but I can feel it being super cheesy.”  Commented Ryuji, before going back to his game.

“Would it be something along the line “Are you a thief? Because you stole my heart.”?”

“Oh, uh, yeah, it’s that.”  She said.

“Oooh. Hey, Ryuji.”

“No.”

“Es-ce que tu…”

Ren received a pillow in his face.

“Stop flirting with me in language I can’t understand oh my god.”

“Are you afraid I actually say something inappropriate?”

“That, but also other stuff.”

“Come on, you know the translation this time, I already used that pick up line on you actually.”

“Which one. You flirt with me a lot you know.”

“Well…”

Before he could continue his conversation, his attention was focused on Haru, who started to yawn.

“Are you tired Haru?”

“Just a little, today was exhausting.”

“We can stop playing, and I can let you rest.”

“But we haven’t finished this game…”

“It’s fine don’t worry. It was more of a friendly match, right?”

“Yeah…”

“I’ll go join you a bit later, I don’t go to bed this early.”

She nods, standing up. She stretches herself before yawning once again. She left the living room. Ren decided to cuddle Ryuji a bit. This was a calm evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you know when sleeping for the first time in a new place you don't sleep as well? Your brain stays half awake to stay alert in case of danger. Let's say that Haru didn't get a great sleep this time  
> Also! I’ve increased a little the age gap between Haru and the boys because I really wanted to make sure that they couldn’t have met her before
> 
> I don't know if my writing is any good, but i liked what i did enough
> 
> I've already started to write next chapter, hopefully i won't have to redo it once again haha
> 
> My autocorrect wanted to change Ren to Rien and i don't know what to think about it. ("Rien" is "nothing" in french btw)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading ! You can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/LaKuroNekoBaka) ( @LaKuroNekoBaka ) where i talk about the progress in the various fics, and on [tumblr](https://lakuronekobaka.tumblr.com/) ( lakuronekobaka ).
> 
> I hope you have a nice day out there !


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